Hold Me
by Timber Hinkley
Summary: Zara experiences the heartbreak of a lifetime and Claire is there to help.
1. chapter one

~ I do not own jurassic world or any of the characters ~

When Zara came in to work one morning, Claire immediately knew something was wrong. Zara's face was tear stained, and her eyes were red and puffy as if she'd just finished crying. At least, Claire assumed she had finished. As soon as Zara closed her office door, Claire heard her start bawling. She walked in behind her and asked "Honey, what's wrong? Are you ok?" Claire really didn't expect a response, but she got much more ; Zara turned around, put her arms around Claire's neck and pulled herself up, wrapping her legs around Claire's waist to where she was completely holding her. Zara sobbed into Claire's shoulder, digging her nails into the older woman's back. "Zara, seriously, I know you're upset but.. I have no arm strength." Claire said as she struggled to support her crying assistant. Claire then realized how that sounded and said "Not that you're too heavy, just that, honey let's face it I can barely lift Gray." Zara's grip tightened and Claire's arms were burning. "Ok, ok let's try this. " Claire said as she sat Zara on her desk and pulled her into a hug. Yeah, no. She wasn't feeling that. Zara started grabbing at Claire and desperately trying to pull herself closer. When she couldn't get as close as she wanted, she just pulled away, wailing at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face. Claire sighed deeply. "You want me to pick you up, don't you?" She asked. Zara wiped a few tears from her face and nodded. "Ok, scoot over this way." Zara did as Claire told her; Claire lifted her into her arms, holding her securely against her chest. "Is that better?" The crying woman nodded into Claire's shoulder. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" Claire asked as she lifted Zara up a bit. "A- Alec..." Zara squeaked out. Claire gave her friend a confused look. "What about him?" Zara started sobbing at the top of her lungs. "We... we br... broke... up... we broke up!" Zara choked into Claire's neck. Claire was horrified. "Alec... as in... your fiance ?!"

Zara shook her head. "Ex fiance!" she wailed. Claire hugged her. "I'm so sorry, Zar..." Zara hiccupped into the older woman's chest. Claire's heart was breaking for her friend and it felt awful.


	2. chapter two

~ an hour later~

Claire was sitting on the futon in Zara's office, holding her on her lap while she cried uncontrollably. She knew people were probably starting to wonder where she was, but at the moment, she didn't care. Claire had taken her jacket off, leaving only her tank top as Zara had always liked skin on skin contact when she was upset. She could feel warm tears dripping on her chest and it broke her heart. Zara was blaming herself for the breakup, she had repeatedly asked Claire "what is wrong with me?" and "what did I do?". Claire had tried to tell her it wasn't her fault, but she wouldn't believe it. She was furious at Alec for doing this to her best friend. She had never seen Zara so upset. "Zara, if there's anything I can do, just let me know. Ok?" Claire said as she stroked Zara's pretty black hair. Zara only nodded and said "Just hold me..." Claire smiled and hugged her tightly. After a few more minutes of listening to Zara's wailing, the nature of the sound changed... it became more of a hiccuping, gurgling sound. Zara coughed violently, gagging as she stopped coughing. " Oh crap she's gonna throw up." Claire thought to herself as she covered Zara's mouth with her hand. She reached down and grabbed a trashcan ; she then held it in front of Zara. "It's alright, honey. You're fine." she said as she rubbed her back. When she finished throwing up, she leaned into Claire and cried pitifully. Claire wiped her mouth with a tissue and held her against her chest. "Why me?! Just why?! Claire, why did this have to happen?!" Zara wailed into Claire's chest. Claire squeezed her tighter and said "I don't know why , Zar... But I wish it didn't happen... I hate seeing you like this." Zara whined and said "My stomach hurts. " Claire gave her a sympathetic look and placed her hand on her stomach, applying a bit of soothing pressure. She was happy when she felt Zara relax. " Much better..." Zara mumbled into Claire's chest . Claire felt her assistant start to shiver against her, so she took of her jacket and wrapped her in it, still holding her tightly. " I don't know how I'm ever gonna get over this... " Zara said, brokenly. Claire kissed her forehead and said " I'll help you. We'll get through it together." Zara smiled and buried her face in Claire's chest and whispered " Thank you. "


	3. chapter three

~ 2:30 am / Claire's apartment ~

Claire was laying in bed, watching TV while Zara slept against her. She had only stopped crying 10 minutes ago and Claire didn't want to go to sleep for fear she'd start again. Claire had a wet spot on her shoulder from the tears. She felt so bad she had ended up crying with Zara for two hours. Now they had tissues all over the bed. She felt Zara start to shift against her side. Zara looked up at her and said " Ugh... what time is it?" Claire brushed her assistant's hair out of her face and said " 2:30". Zara's face turned red with embarrassment. " Did I keep you up for that long?" Claire nodded and said " Yeah, but it's ok. Really, when Zach had his first breakup, I stayed up with him all night too. I'd stay up for weeks for people I love. " Zara smiled and buried her face in Claire's chest. After a few minutes of cuddling Zara started getting emotional again, as did Claire. They held each other and cried until it was time to go to work. Claire felt like strangling Alec. Zara cried so hard trying to shower Claire had to help her wash her hair. She was trying not to act awkward while standing in the shower holding her. After she got Zara situated she broke her " fast shower record " by showering in 5 minutes flat. She didn't want Zara to have another meltdown. She got dressed in 3 minutes and that was as long as it took to send Zara in to another crying fit. This was gonna be a long day...


	4. chapter four

~at work, 8:30 A.M.~

"Claire, what happened yesterday? Where'd you and Zara disappear to?" Vivian asked as soon as she had Claire alone in the bathroom. "Oh, um... don't tell her I told you this, ok?" Claire replied with a sigh. Vivian nodded. "Ok, Zara's fiance, Alec, broke up with her over text yesterday morning. She was so upset she got sick so I took her home to rest. We were up all night." Viv gasped. "Oh my gosh, poor Zara. " she said, shaking her head sadly. Claire nodded."I know. I'm worried about how she'll do today. She couldn't go five minutes without crying last night. And you know how much she hates crying in front of people. "

"Oh, yeah. Do you think she can handle the inspection?" Viv asked as she adjusted her hair. "I hope so... I really hope so..."

~ in the control room ~

"You ok?" Claire asked as she patted Zara on the back. She nodded, obviously holding back tears. "Miss Dearing, Miss Young, can I speak to you girls for a moment." called Mr. Masrani from the hallway. The girls glanced at each other and walked to their boss. "Yes sir?" they said in unison. "Where were you yesterday afternoon?" he asked. Zara swallowed the lump in her throat and looked at Claire for help. "Zara wasn't feeling well so I took her home. " Zara looked at Simon and nodded in agreement. He sighed."I know about the breakup, you two don't have to lie." Zara choked up and said "How'd you know?" "I heard Claire mumbling something about wanting to strangle your fiance so I assumed he broke up with you. I'm sorry, Zara." The dark haired woman wiped a stray tear off her cheek and said "Thank you, sir." Claire put her arm around her assistant, allowing her to lay her head on her shoulder. "Claire, I think I need a minute..." Zara said as she struggled not to cry. Simon patted Zara's arm and looked at Claire, giving her permission to take her assistant to another room. Zara broke down on Claire's lap as soon as they sat down. "Its ok, sweetie. I've got you. " Claire said as she rubbed Zara's back. Zara sobbed intensely into Claire's chest; Owen heard the noise and went to check. "Claire? is everything ok?" he said as he looked at Zara with concern. Claire shook her head. " No, not really..." Owen sat on the couch beside them. "What happened?" He asked. "Her fiance... he... he broke up with her..." Claire said, stroking Zara's hair. Owen felt the color drain from his face. "Oh wow... poor Zara.."

he said. Claire nodded, not taking her attention off of Zara. "Anything I can do?" Owen asked. "Hold her while I go get her some water?" Owen nodded and helped Zara onto his lap. Owen had never held her before and she never imagined his strong, protective embrace would feel so good. "If this is what Claire gets on dates, I envy her." she thought to herself. Owen rocked her gently, whispering soothing words to her until she calmed down. When Claire got back, the once hysterical woman was simply relaxing against Owen. Claire looked at him gratefully and helped Zara drink the water. She moaned softly as she drifted into a peaceful sleep on Owen's lap. He gently laid her on the couch, careful not to wake her. "Hey Claire, the inspectors are here. " Vivian said quietly. Claire got up, turned to Owen and said "Can you watch Zara?" . He nodded.

~ about halfway through the inspection ~

Owen was scrolling through his phone as Zara slept beside him. He suddenly heard a small whimper, and looked down at the girl. He could tell she was about to cry again. He laid down beside her and urged her to lay on him. She didn't hesitate to take his offer; she cried for the rest of the time they waited for Claire to get back. The redhead returned to see Owen cuddling Zara soothingly, just as he did for her when she was upset. She smiled at the two and started rubbing Zara's back, gently notifying her of her presence. Zara started grabbing at Claire, signaling her that she wanted held. Claire lifted her into her arms , bouncing her gently when she had her in the proper position. Zara soon fell asleep again, Claire still holding her. Claire handed her sleeping assistant back to Owen and sat down across the room, working on paperwork. So far, things weren't going too badly. But how long would that last?


	5. chapter five

~ Claire's apartment ~

Claire sighed deeply as she had finally found a comfortable position to comfort Zara. She laid on her side with Zara doing the same, facing her. Zara buried her face in Claire's chest and sobbed. Claire was exhausted from constantly struggling to stop the flood of tears from her heartbroken assistant, but she knew Zara needed her. She had learned that Zara loved to be picked up and held in that standing position. it worked well to calm her down but it did a number on Claire's back_. _Claire suddenly noticed that Zara was moaning as if she was in pain. "What's wrong?" she asked. Zara suddenly pulled away, jumped out of bed and sprinted to the bathroom. Claire quickly followed and pulled Zara's hair out of her face as she bent over the toilet. Zara violently emptied her stomach as Claire bent down beside her and rubbed her back. When she finished, Claire helped her sit on the side of the bathtub before going to get a damp washcloth. She handed it to her before sitting beside her and rubbing her back. Zara wiped her mouth with the washcloth and leaned on Claire. Claire returned the embrace and asked "What happened, sweetie?" Zara shook her head. "I don't know, I just suddenly felt really sick." Claire nodded and hugged the British woman. "Do you feel better now?" Claire asked. Zara shrugged. " A little, my stomach still hurts, though. " Claire nodded. "Do you feel ok enough to go back to bed?" Zara nodded and Claire helped her stand up. Claire sat a trashcan beside Zara's side of the bed, just in case. Then they resumed cuddling. Zara's stomach cramped and she pressed herself closer against Claire, trying to get some relief. She groaned in pain, which caught Claire's attention immediately. "What's wrong, Zar?" she asked. "My stomach hurts. " she whined. Claire gently rubbed her stomach in attempt to help her. When that didn't help, Zara started crying and she clung to Claire. Claire rubbed her back gently until she cried herself to sleep.


	6. chapter six

~ At the office, 9 AM~

Claire slumped into her chair and sipped her second cup of coffee. Owen walked in and sat down across from Claire.

"Mornin' babe. " he said with a wink. Claire could only smile faintly and sigh. "Uh oh, what's the matter?" he asked. Claire rubbed her eyes and said "It's Zara. I thought this situation with the breakup couldn't possibly get any worse, but I was wrong. She's so stressed out she was throwing up all night and still this morning, that's why she stayed home. And it's also why I'm leaving at 11." Owen shook his head. "Poor thing, do you think she'll be ok alone for 2 hours? I mean, sounds like she's in bad shape." Claire shrugged. "I hope so, I wanted to stay home but there's a few things that I simply had to get done." Owen nodded. "Well, good luck." Claire smiled as she watched Owen leave the room.

~ an hour later~

"Owen!" Claire called desperately. Owen ran into his girlfriend's office. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Its Zara, I tried to call her to see if she wanted me to pick up some food to bring home, and she's not answering." Owen rubbed Claire's shoulder. "Relax, babe. She probably just fell asleep. " Claire shook her head. "No, Owen I feel like something's wrong. Please, can you go check on her?" Owen sighed. "Sure babe, I will. But I can almost guarantee that she's fine." Claire nodded, but she was not convinced.

~ At Claire's apartment~

"Zara!" Owen called as he opened the apartment door. There was no answer, so he tried again. "Zara! Are you alright? It's Owen." still no answer. Owen knocked lightly on the bedroom door, not wanting to surprise her if she was asleep or undressed, but there was still no answer. "I'm coming in, ok?" he gently opened the door to find that Zara was not in bed. He was getting a bit nervous now. He called nervously. "Zara?" Owen almost jumped out of his skin when he entered the bathroom. Zara was laying unconscious on the floor; she was terribly pale and obviously very sick. "Zara!" he yelled as he bent down beside her, trying to wake her up. Her skin was burning hot, he guessed she had passed out from fever. The young woman woke up slowly and instantly tried to get closer to Owen; he could tell she was scared. He rubbed her stomach and said "Hey, it's ok. I'm here, you're alright."

"I... I don't feel... well.." Zara said weakly. "I know you don't, it's gonna be ok. What hurts?" Zara took a shaky breath and said "My stomach, and my head. It feels like a migraine. " Owen nodded in understanding and gently lifted her up, bridal style. He carried her back to bed and grabbed a thermometer out of Claire's bedside drawer. He placed the device on Zara's forehead. He was relieved when it wasn't as high as he had thought it would be, but it was still a fever. 101.2F. "So, do you know why you passed out?" he asked. Zara moaned softly and said "I think I just got overly upset or something..." Owen nodded. "I want Claire." the young woman whined as she fought back tears. Owen smiled and said "Ok, I'll call her. "

When Owen got off the phone with Claire, Zara broke into hysterical crying. He held her close in attempt to calm her down, but he knew that he was no replacement for Claire. He'd just have to pray she got home soon.


	7. chapter seven

When Claire arrived at her apartment, she heard Zara's cries and immediately ran to the bedroom where she found Owen attempting to comfort the hysterical assistant. Claire scooped her off of Owen's lap and into her arms and held her close. "What happened, Owen? Is she ok?" She asked, still clutching her crying friend. Owen sighed and replied "I found her passed out on the bathroom floor. I think it's getting worse, Claire..." Claire sighed sadly and rocked her assistant, hoping that she'd calm down. And, she did.

"Please... d-don't ever leave me... again..." Zara pleaded through the remainder of her tears. Now it was Claire's turn to cry; she felt terrible for having left her and was wondering why she didn't think to just let her sleep on the couch at work. That way she at least wouldn't be alone. Claire, seeing that Zara was now afraid to be alone, was angrier than ever at Alec.

"Zara, honey, i know you don't want me to leave, but won't you be ok for just a few minutes while I go to the store and grab a couple things? Owen can stay with you and I promise I won't be long." Zara was hesitant, but she agreed. As long as Owen stayed with her, which he also agreed to do. Claire gave Zara a kiss on the cheek before handing her to Owen, giving him a kiss as well, and heading out the door. But, Claire wasn't totally honest about where she was going; she was indeed intending to go to the store, but she also planned on making a trip to Alec's place to give him a peice of her mind. When she arrived, she angrily banged on the front door.

Alec opened the door and gave her a confused look. "Who are you?" he asked.

Claire crossed her arms and replied "Claire Dearing." she gave her voice an intimidating tone. "Zara's boss." Alec's heart sank. "Oh... oh boy..." he stammered nervously. "Oh boy" is right you two faced jerk!" Claire fumed. "Zara is an absolute mess because of you!" she continued, before he could reply she went on "She did nothing to you for you to just dump her like that! She hasn't slept in days! And neither have I!" Claire's face was red with anger.

"Oh... so she's taking it hard, huh?" Alec said.

"OF COURSE SHE IS!" Claire all but roared as she clenched her fists.

"Let me tell you something, never, I repeat, never, speak to my assistant again! If you show up where her and I work or live I will have you arrested!"

Alec nodded slightly, a little frightened by Claire's extreme response to his decision to break up with Zara.

Claire stomped back down the porch steps and back into her car. As she drove, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, and it felt really good to let Alec have it.

When she got to the store, she did her shopping quickly because she knew Zara wanted her home. She grabbed some tissues, as after the recent events they were running low, a bit more of the chocolate that Zara liked, and some ink for the printer at work. With the tissues, she made sure to get the ones with pretty boxes, she knew Zara liked that kind.

When she got home, Zara was snuggled up in bed with Owen beside her.

"Hey babe. " Owen said. Claire smiled and kissed him. Then she stroked Zara's forehead and said "I missed you guys." Zara smiled a little and glanced to the bags. "What did you go to the store for?"

Claire sat on the edge of the bed and showed her the tissues and chocolate. Zara smiled. "You know me so well." she said with a yawn. Claire held her hand and said with a wink. "I also got some ink for the printer."

Zara smirked and reached for Claire to hold her. Claire helped the younger woman onto her lap and held her close.

~ a few hours later~

It was nighttime now, and Zara still hadn't left Claire's lap. Claire didn't mind, though, she loved to hold her. "Its almost time for bed, do you want to try and sleep?" Claire asked. Zara nodded and snuggled close to her friend. Claire gently laid down, laying Zara down as well, she then hugged her close and soothed her to sleep with gentle whispers and rubbing her back. Owen smiled and kissed Claire on the forehead before going to the livingroom for the night. Claire fell asleep soon as well, as did Owen. Claire felt refreshed after blowing up on Alec the way she did, she just hoped that Zara would be able to sleep through the night.


End file.
